Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Oxford House debate

It's a great idea to help people recover from alcohol and drug addiction, but just not in my neighborhood.

That seems to be what's coming out of the debate about Oxford House, which operates group homes for recovering alcoholics and former drug addicts. The premise is for recovering alcoholics and former drug addicts to transition back into society by living together and running a house.

I knew very little about Oxford House until recently when a firestorm of controversy erupted about plans for an Oxford House to open on East Northside Drive in Jackson. The house officially opened April 1.

The reaction from people in the neighborhood opposed to the Oxford House comes as no surprise to me. I can understand the concerns of residents, especially those with children, with people living near them who have been addicted to alcohol and drugs. It's a typical reaction.

However, there is also another side. The vast majority of us have no idea who in our neighborhoods are addicted to alcohol or drugs.

The Oxford House residents are trying to do something about their alcohol or drug problem. We know who they are and where they live.

I had an Oxford House tenant from Meridian call me Friday. He said Oxford House literally saved his life. He said he wishes people could understand what Oxford House is really about.

"Most of us were hopeless, helpless and homeless," he said. "Oxford House gives us hope of transitioning back to society."

Also Friday, an 85-year-old woman called me to say she doesn't mind her tax money being used to help people try to recover from alcohol and drug addiction because most families have a member who has an alcohol or drug addiction.

Despite receiving those calls, I'm not here to say the neighbors opposed to Oxford House are irrational in their beliefs. How many of us would readily say we want an Oxford House as our neighbor?

A state senator and Gov. Phil Bryant have entered the fray in opposition to certain aspects of Oxford House. Bryant said this week he is supportive of opportunities for people to succeed and to end the cycle of dependency. However, he is troubled that Oxford House, which is receiving tax dollars, is targeting jails and recruiting convicted criminals into neighborhoods.

However, the state Department of Mental Health, which has provided seed money for Oxford Houses to start in Mississippi, said a review of monthly reports over the last two and a half years, indicated about only four percent of recruitment by outreach workers were done at jails.

Getting people away from alcohol and drug addiction should be a top priority in any area. A majority of the inmates in our corrections facilities are there because of drug addictions that led to criminal activity to support their habits.

The locations of Oxford Houses can and should be debated, but it shouldn't become a political issue. Hopefully, a middle ground can be found where residents don't feel threatened and we can help those who are trying to help get off alcohol and drugs and become productive members of society.